Sea-Tac Airport adds more international destinations

If you’re looking for a new international destination to travel to this summer, you’re in luck.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport connects to 33 international destinations on 25 airlines, according to the Port of Seattle, which operates Sea-Tac.

The airport now has direct flights to Beijing, which resumed after a four-year hiatus, as well as Chongqing, China, and Munich, Germany.

The airport, which turns 75 on July 9, also added more services to Taipei, Taiwan, and Toronto this year, and a new direct flight to Manila, Philippines, is coming in the fall.

Sea-Tac’s recent international growth is a testament “to the appeal our region and communities offer the world, both culturally and economically,” said Toshiko Hasegawa, the Port of Seattle commission vice president, in a recent news release.

Delta’s new daily service to Taipei, added in June, marks the airline’s first nonstop flight to Taiwan’s capital from the U.S., the Port of Seattle said online. The flights to Taipei will leave Sea-Tac at 11:45 a.m. daily.

In a news release announcing the service, the Port of Seattle said Sea-Tac serves as a “crucial coastal hub” for Delta, which runs nearly 170 daily departures from the airport.

Later this summer, Taiwan-based China Airlines and Starlux Airlines will add flights to Taipei. China Airlines will launch five new nonstop flights a week starting July 14, and Starlux will have three flights a week starting in August, according to the Port of Seattle.

Lufthansa’s direct route to Munich, added in May, marks the airport’s second nonstop German destination after Frankfurt. The flights will run three times a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 6:50 p.m.

Hainan Airline’s service to Chongqing in southwestern China is Sea-Tac’s first to the sister city of Seattle. The weekly flight will leave Sea-Tac on Thursdays at 11 a.m.

Hainan Airlines picked Sea-Tac as its first U.S. airport back in 2008, carrying about 200,000 visitors a year from Beijing to Seattle. After a four-year hiatus, Hainan Airlines resumed flights to Beijing in April before it added service to Chongqing in May, the Port of Seattle said.

The flights to Beijing will run three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 11 a.m.

Philippine Airlines will add a new flight to Manila in October, Port of Seattle spokesperson Perry Cooper said.

In a news release, the Port of Seattle said flights to Manila will run three times a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 11:40 p.m.

Alaska Airlines’ daily Toronto flight takes travelers to the airline’s sixth Canadian destination from Sea-Tac.

Beware for those flying Alaska Airlines: The Port of Seattle’s $546 million project in partnership with the company will affect the ticketing and baggage claim areas across the airport.

Sea-Tac recommends Alaska Airlines passengers check in for their flight before they get to the airport, and if they don’t have a bag, go straight to security and skip the lobby.

In general, the airport also recommends arriving at least two hours before domestic travel and three hours before international travel, “and we really mean that,” said Lea Kautzman, managing director of Sea-Tac guest services for Alaska Airlines. “So get here early, and be prepared.”

Materials from The Seattle Times’ archive were used in this report.